Singer Fergie's infamous rendition of the national anthem at a 2018 NBA event resurfaced on the Fourth of July and was once again met with mockery on social media.
The Black Eyed Peas star made headlines five years ago when she performed her take on "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Her accentuated performance made some people in the stadium laugh, and it quickly went viral online afterward. ESPN's YouTube video of the performance has 25 million views alone with millions more seeing it across social media.
Half a decade later and as Americans celebrated the Fourth of July in 2023, thousands rejoiced as the performance resurfaced on Instagram, giving people the chance to enjoy it all over again.
The popular Instagram account @velvetcoke shared a series of famous pop culture moments from the 21st century for her 1.7 million followers to enjoy on Independence Day. The first up on the list was Fergie's performance.
Rewatching the video, some of the NBA players standing for the anthem on the court appear to be stifling laughter and grins (and failing) as Fergie performs her drawn-out version of the song. The camera zooms in on talk show host Jimmy Kimmel in the stands, who is smirking during the performance, too.
Instagram user @mxaphysical couldn't hide their shock in the comment section. "Holy s***. Fergie really mutilated the anthem," they commented, getting over 1,100 likes.
Other people replied saying they cringed, while Instagram user @pavijanka said they were in the stadium that day listening live: "Fergie singing anthem is a moment I will never forget..."
Other comments suggested Fergie's performance may have been more appropriate for the country than anyone realizes. "I think Fergie's performance perfectly suits the US. She matches US energy perfectly," wrote @foreverinreverie.
"Messing it all up but thinking she slayed," @nadiapcr wrote, referencing Fergie's ending to the song with a big smile on her face.
@zrgzlv summed up the moment perfectly and managed to explain why it has resurfaced again: "Fergie's performance was so bad it became legendary."
Fergie's performance of the song made headlines in 2018, with Newsweek deeming it "memorable for all the wrong reasons" at the time.
Reflecting on the reaction at the time, Fergie later released a statement to People the next day.
"I've always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA," she said. "I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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